Singer-songwriter Lizzie Weber has been working on her forthcoming album, Fidalgo, for more than a decade. Sure, there were single releases and EPs along the way, but this body of work, her first complete album since her 2014 self-titled debut, captures a season of Weber’s life—both the highs and the lows—as she fell in love, left home, struggled with isolation and depression, and ultimately learned to listen to her own inner voice.
“What I think I love about this record is that it helped me solidify my voice and what songwriting is for me,” says Weber. “Sometimes people call writing a stream of consciousness, but for me, it feels like a stream of subconsciousness. It feels like there’s a different woman, deep, deep inside of me who is the wise one. When I am speaking or thinking or whatever, I can’t access those thoughts and feelings. But this record and these songs helped me listen to myself.”
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Weber originally planned to produce the record alongside Czech-Icelandic singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová, star of Once and one half of the duo The Swell Season, in May 2020. However, when the pandemic shut down travel, she decided to take on the project herself.
Across the eight tracks, Weber explores several ideas that became suddenly more universal as the world was forced inside and apart from their loved ones. Her experiences as a military spouse, including leaving behind the people and arts scene she loved for the person she loved, inspired tracks that resonate for anyone who’s lived apart from those they care about or had to learn the art of compromise in a relationship.
Weber has called Fidalgo her opus, and certainly it marks a new era for the artist. During its creation, she came into her own and discovered new passions. Listeners can get a taste of it on “Blood Meridian,” inspired by the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Written in response to a book club assignment while Weber was living in Seattle, “Blood Meridian” is a sort of test run for Weber’s next ambition: writing for television and movies. Writing the song helped turn the artist’s attention toward “creating art inspired by art.”
“Working on that piece made me realize how much I love soundtracks and just want to adapt or write for TV and film,” she says. “That’s my hope. I want to keep making records, but my passion for music and film and visuals—I’m really hoping that this record shows a little bit of what I can do in that arena.”
Along with the new album comes Weber’s return to the stage after a period away from the spotlight. She took a step back from performing this past winter to focus on family obligations, but her June 8 performance at The Dark Room at The Grandel will be a warm welcome back. Weber expects plenty of family and friends to be among the loyal supporters at the album release celebration, where she’ll also be joined by special guest Joanna Serenko. Weber says it will be an intimate, unplugged show that will highlight the songs that she’s spent so long working on. More local concert dates are still in the works, but she’ll have a chance to share Fidalgo with folks out west while on tour with The Swell Season later this summer.
“It’s kind of a surreal moment, because I saw The Swell Season in the nosebleeds at the Hollywood Bowl when I was 21 years old,” says Weber. “They were part of the reason why I decided to just pursue music. I don’t know what it was about their sound, about their songwriting, about their energy, but I found it so inspiring.”
Whether they experience it live or via streaming, Weber hopes listeners—and other artists—will welcome her return. She’s looking forward to collaborating more with both organizations (she has her eye on the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra) and individual artists, whether that’s performing together or working on music with local filmmakers.
“Hopefully this record finds its way into the homes of our community here,” she says. “[This record] feels like a little tiny book, a little tiny moment in time. Hopefully, the next one will reveal something else.”
Catch Lizzie Weber at The Dark Room at The Grandel June 8. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at MetroTix.com.
